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Tributes continued to pour in for former India captain Sourav Ganguly a day after his induction into the ICC Hall of Fame, with batting legend Sachin Tendulkar and World Cup-winning all-rounder Yuvraj Singh leading the congratulations for one of Indian cricket's most influential leaders.
Ganguly, who was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame on his 54th birthday and became the 12th Indian overall and the 10th Indian male cricketer to receive the prestigious honour. Sharing a post on X, Tendulkar, Ganguly's longtime opening partner and one of Indian cricket's greatest batting duos, wrote, "There aren't too many surprises left after knowing each other since we were 14. This wasn't one either. Congratulations @SGanguly99. So happy to see you in the @ICC Hall of Fame!" Responding to the heartfelt message, Ganguly replied and wrote, "Thank you champion .. to be in the same list as you is the biggest job satisfaction ever." Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, one of the many players whose international career flourished under Ganguly's captaincy, also paid tribute to his former skipper. "Congratulations Dada on being inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. Thoroughly deserved! You didn't just build a team, you built belief in a generation of cricketers. Grateful to have played under your leadership and created memories that will last a lifetime. Congratulations once again! @SGanguly99," Yuvraj posted on X. Soon after the honour was confirmed on Wednesday, Ganguly had expressed his gratitude to the ICC and ICC Chairman Jay Shah. "Thank you ICC and Chairman Jay shah @JayShah for inducting me in the hall of fame .. it's a huge honour ..One of the 10 Indians to be inducted in the hall of fame ever .. Amazing to be a part of some great names .. @bcci," Ganguly wrote on X. The ICC Hall of Fame, launched in 2009 during the governing body's centenary celebrations, recognises players who have made extraordinary contributions to the sport. Cricketers become eligible for induction five years after their final international appearance. Ganguly's international career spanned 424 matches, during which he amassed 18,575 runs, including 38 centuries and 107 half-centuries. Revered as the "God of Offside" for his elegant strokeplay, he scored 7,212 runs in 113 Tests and 11,363 runs in 311 One-Day Internationals. As captain, Ganguly transformed Indian cricket during one of its most challenging periods. He led India in 196 international matches, registering 97 victories while guiding the team to memorable achievements, including the 2001 Border-Gavaskar Trophy triumph over Australia, India's maiden Test series win in Pakistan in 2004, the 2000 ICC KnockOut Trophy final and the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup final. Beyond results, Ganguly is widely credited with instilling self-belief in the Indian team and backing a generation of young cricketers, including MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Irfan Pathan and Gautam Gambhir, many of whom went on to play pivotal roles in India's future ICC title-winning campaigns. (ANI)
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